Republicans demand delay in US military withdrawal from Afghanistan

Republican members of the US House of Representatives have called for a vote on legislation that would keep American troops in Afghanistan until all Americans are evacuated, a day after Washington’s 20-year policy of death and destruction formally came to an end in the country.

About two dozen Republicans pushed for a brief House session on Tuesday in the hopes of trying to pass a bill by unanimous consent that would delay the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Representative Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), who was presiding the session, led a moment of silence to honor over a dozen US troops who were killed in the attack in Kabul last week.

Dingell then adjourned the House without any further action. This caused an outcry from the Republicans who didn’t get a chance to be recognized to speak on the floor in favor of the bill.

“Never in my lifetime would I ever believe America would have an administration knowingly make a decision to leave Americans behind,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said at a press conference subsequently.

“Now is not the time to hide. We are a co-equal branch. Now is the time for leadership in Congress,” McCarthy said.

Terrorists struck the Kabul airport on Thursday, killing at least 180 people, mostly Afghan civilians and about a dozen US troops. A terrorist group, called Daesh-K, which was not known to anyone before Thursday’s deadly bombing, claimed the responsibility for the attack.

Highly suspicious: CNN interviewed Daesh terrorist before Kabul bombing

CNN aired an interview with the Daesh commander two weeks before Thursday’s Kabul bombing, raising questions on social media.

Two weeks before the bombing, American broadcaster CNN aired an interview with a “senior” commander of the Daesh-K terrorist group from a Kabul hotel while the US-backed government was still in power in Afghanistan.

Shockingly, the Daesh-K commander told CNN reporter Clarissa Ward that the group was “laying low and waiting for its moment to strike,” but the broadcaster apparently did not share this vital information with US authorities or maybe it did and they simply ignored it.

Gallagher’s bill would have prohibited American troop reductions in Afghanistan until Biden certified that all US citizens and permanent residents are evacuated. But it would allow an exception if the Defense secretary determined that U.S. forces were facing “imminent hostilities.”

However, US President Joe Biden said in a statement that his military commanders agreed that he should adhere to the August 31 deadline to protect American troops amid terror threats and “secure the prospects of civilian departures for those who want to leave Afghanistan in the weeks and months ahead.”

“I have asked the Secretary of State to lead the continued coordination with our international partners to ensure safe passage for any Americans, Afghan partners, and foreign nationals who want to leave Afghanistan,” Biden said.

Pentagon prepared for ‘mass casualty’ attack hours before Kabul blast: Classified notes

The Pentagon instructed senior US military leaders to make preparations for an imminent “mass casualty event” just 24 hours before the bombing at the Kabul airport.

But Republicans criticized the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw US troops even though several Americans still remained in Afghanistan.

“It is time for Congress to step up because of the administration bungling this withdrawal,” Gallagher said. “This is a matter of life and death. We don't leave our people behind.”

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